Murdoch recalled to appear before MPs

News International chairman James Murdoch will reappear before MPs for further questioning in November, it was announced on Monday.

News International chairman James Murdoch will reappear before MPs for further questioning in November, it was announced on Monday.

Murdoch, the clear heir apparent to his father's News Corp before a phone hacking scandal engulfed the company in July, has come under intense scrutiny by shareholders since the scandal intensified this summer.

Murdoch and his 80-year-old father Rupert appeared before the powerful parliamentary committee in July at the height of the drama, to discuss how journalists at the now defunct News of the World tabloid had hacked the phones of thousands of people to generate stories.

Since then, however, executives working below James Murdoch have contradicted his testimony over what he knew and when about the illegal activity, which has hammered the reputation and value of the company.

The statement came as Murdoch's predecessor at the British newspaper arm, Les Hinton, appeared before the same committee for a second time, saying he had not been complicit in a cover up and that he had not realised the scale of the problem.

Asked by the committee if he was in any way complicit in letting untruths and misleading statements corrupt the truth, Hinton replied: "I don't think I was complicit in what you were suggesting."

"Looking back on it now, I will look forward to understanding exactly what did unfold and what we might have done that we did not."

Hinton, the debonair executive who worked for Murdoch for more than 50 years before he resigned over the revelations in July, said he had not followed an internal investigation led by lawyers into the scandal and told parliamentarians on numerous occasions that he could not remember the answer to questions.